BJP urges EC to bar Didi from poll campaign

New Delhi: BJP on Monday accused Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool colleagues of resorting to "intimidation, fear and violence" to vitiate assembly polls in the state and urged the Election Commission to bar her from campaigning and register criminal cases to probe such incidents.

Senior party functionaries, including Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju and Sukanta Majumdar besides general secretary Arun Singh and chief spokesperson Anil Baluni, submitted a petition to the EC seeking action, citing incidents of Banerjee making statements that allegedly violated constitutional and legal provisions guiding electoral laws.





"We had a serious discussion with EC over the havoc Mamata Banerjee and TMC are causing in Bengal by frightening voters to snatch their voting rights by trying to capture the democratic process and hijack elections," Rijiju told reporters after the delegation visited the EC.

He alleged that Banerjee had taken the lead in delivering threats to households against voting for BJP, while officials were being turned into TMC members.

Similar coercive tactics were used by TMC to win previous elections, Rijiju claimed, and urged the EC to ensure free and fair polls. The commission had assured that it would take appropriate measures, he added.

Listing various incidents, BJP's memorandum said Banerjee had on March 26 asked people to "unite and resist" and to come out with "whatever is at home" on polling and counting days, if any force was allegedly applied.

"Simultaneously, she cast doubts on the credibility of the counting process, thereby undermining public confidence in the EC and the electoral system," it added.

According to BJP, TMC MP Mahua Moitra said at a meeting that over 68% of people killed and incarcerated in ‘Kala Pani' (Cellular Jail, Andaman) were Bengalis followed by Punjabis.

"Can you name one Gujarati who was there?" BJP quoted Moitra as saying, claiming it was a show of contempt for people of India on the basis of region and language.